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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. net — in sport
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. tube — a container
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a cup
  11. sharp — clever
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mug — a face
  16. net — after costs
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. field — for sport
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. net — for catching
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. wake — a trail
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com